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Over 1,000 students got a head start to the school year Wednesday at Combined Community Services’ annual Tools for School.
Ami Pitt, Project Independence/Hand-Up case manager, said this was the 31st year for the event. As of about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Pitt didn’t have a headcount of how many students went through Lakeview Middle School for Tools for School. She said she knew Tools for School saw at least 1,000 students, and guessed at seeing 1,500 but wasn’t sure on the exact number.
Warsaw Community Schools Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert said the doors at Lakeview Middle School officially opened for Tools for School at 9 a.m., but there were people lined up by 7:45 a.m.
This year, Tools for School had more supplies than it ever had to give to students throughout Kosciusko County.
Pitt said schools supplies were donated by organizations like Meijer, Warsaw Morning Optimist Club and United Way of Whitley and Kosciusko Counties.
“It takes a whole community to come together,” Pitt said.
With the increased school supplies, Tools for School was able to give out supplies they normally don’t have like headphones, dry erase markers and erasers and index cards.
Students received school supplies based on their school supply list for their grade and the event was open to K-12 students within Kosciusko County.
At the end of Tools for Schools, representatives from various schools collected any leftover school supplies.
This was the first year United Way of Whitley and Kosciusko Counties and CCS combined resources to give away school supplies.
United Way of Whitley and Kosciusko Counties CEO Barry Andrew said United Way tried to do a similar event on their own in the past. It made more sense to him and Chief Relationship Officer Randy Polston that was not the right move and they would rather be a collaborator. Polston then got in touch with CCS. After a few meetings, it was decided it would be a great team effort.
It’s all about the kids and impacting them, Polston said. When he was executive director at CCS, he said he reached out to United Way several times. When Polston and Andrew came together at United Way, the idea was to reach out to CCS and pool their resources “and let’s make the greatest impact on kids we can.”
Andrew said United Way provided the backpacks given away during Tools for School, as well as a stipend for CCS to buy school supplies for the event.
Kids Market Inc. partnered with Tools for School this year and donated clothes.
Changing Footprints donated shoes. There were also some major donors of shoes this year, Pitt said.
The cosmetology program also provided free haircuts during Wednesday’s event.
Pitt said CCS saw the need for Tools for School go up for quite a few years, but the last few years have held quite steady. She guessed the need was about where it was last year.
Also at Tools for School, representatives from WCS and Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation were there to register students and answer questions.
Ashlie Schlemmer, director of communications and public relations and grant manager for TVSC, said Valley representatives have been part of Tools for School for the last couple years.
Tools for School is a great opportunity to get registered for school and get to school supplies, she said.
Hoffert said registration, food service and transportation help had been going on all day for WCS to help families get registered for school or help with any questions they had.
Hoffert said about a quarter of the families that went through Tools for School Wednesday needed some kind of registration information. When students are registered, school corporations are able to assign them a class and a bus route. When students show up on the first day and register, it can mean there aren’t the right number of teachers in the right school or bus routes are messed up.
“So that’s why we’re really always trying to get people to register and register early. So that way, we make sure that come Aug. 7, we are 100% ready to go,” he said.
Hoffert estimated 85% to 90% of the expected student population at WCS have enrolled as of Wednesday. Back To School Night will be 4 to 6 p.m. Aug. 6 for elementary school students. Students can go to WCS’ central office or home school to register.
CCS wants to make sure students go back to school prepared, Pitt said.
Hoffert said WCS is so grateful United Way, CCS and all the other community partners have jumped in to make sure students go back to school with the right school supplies.
Polston brought up the saying “It takes a village to raise a child.” He said during Tools for School, the community came together to help students walk into school having everything they need “and that’s the target.”
Andrew said it’s not just about the kids, but also equally important about the impact the volunteers get to have and the opportunity to give back and serve in that capacity and see the smiles on the kids’ and families’ faces.
